IMA warns of ‘White Alert’, ‘Black Day’ over violence against doctors

“Our legitimate needs for safe workplaces have to be met. Abuse and violence should stop immediately,” the Indian Medical Association said on Monday .

The Indian Medical Association on Monday called for an immediate end to violence and abuse against doctors and medical professionals across the country. The IMA asked the Centre to enact central law on violence against doctors and hospitals across the nation.

As cases of violence against health care professionals increase, doctors’ associations have urged the central government to formulate more stringent laws. (Reuters)

“Our legitimate needs for safe workplaces have to be met. Abuse and violence should stop immediately,” the IMA stated.

The IMA stated that doctors and medical professionals across the country will light a candle at 9 pm on April 22 as protest and vigil against the violence and abuse. The IMA termed it as ‘White Alert’ to the nation.

It said that doctors across the country will work with black badges on April 23 and declare it as ‘Black Day’ if the government fails to enact central law on violence against doctors and hospitals.

“The IMA has maintained utmost restraint and patience inspite of extreme provocations. Doctors have been abused, beaten up, denied entry and residence. Obstruction to cremation is the last straw that IMA can bear,” a statement released by the IMA read.

Last week, residents of a Chennai locality protested against the cremation of a doctor from Andhra Pradesh who died of coronavirus in the city, saying it might lead to the spread of coronavirus in their locality, news agency PTI reported.

Following the resistance, the doctor’s body was taken back to the hospital mortuary and was later cremated at another locality.

Earlier this week, the Federation of Resident Doctors Association wrote to home minister Amit Shah, expressing concern over the attacks on doctors and medical staff at Lok Nayak Hospital in the national Capital and other states such as Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana.

In a series of tweets, lawyer Sonali Jaitley Bakshi said her father, late Union minister Arun Jaitley, wanted to pursue the formation of a law to deal with the violence against health workers.

This comes when the nation battles the coronavirus crisis with doctors and medical professionals in the frontline of the challenge.

(With inputs from agencies)